Fabric to Dresses to Diapers, Oh My!

It has been such a joy for me to sew for missions when I have the opportunity. It's been more than a few years ago now that I sent a box of dresses to our missionary friends in South Africa. After those dresses were sent, a friend from church had some fabric and wanted to know if it might be good for dresses. It was indeed and I used it to make some very pretty dresses. However, with Covid and all it brought, there has been no way to get dresses to South Africa. So, I made those and had to set them aside thinking.... 'one day'. 

Well, 'one day' must have arrived because a couple of months ago I had a message from a local friend who was cleaning out a room in their church and found some fabric. She asked if I was interested in looking through them. Sure! Who knows what treasures there might be! It was a treasure alright.....three big boxes full! I was a bit overwhelmed and asked a sewing friend of mine to go through them with me and decide what was good for dresses and how others might be used. 

So I got to work figuring it must be time to send dresses again! Trusting God will work out the when and how to get them to South Africa where they are needed, I cut, made pockets, matched colors and sewed and trimmed with many fun fabrics, colors and prints. I am REALLY glad that God provided so many different fabrics to work with!!! Making so many dresses with the same fabric would be soooo NOT fun! But, as God provided, I enjoyed matching colors and prints of many different kinds such that very rarely are two dresses exactly alike. Since all of these dresses are going to the same community, it's nice that each girl will receive one that is unique, just as she is. I enjoy remembering as I sew that God already knows who will be wearing each individual dress that I'm working on and I can pray for that little girl.

Matching pockets to dresses.

Some finished dresses.

My sewing room exploding in color!

These colorful straps will be tied in bows over the shoulders of the girls who
God already knows will wear them.

My machine and I have been getting a good workout!

78 dresses are made and ready to go along with the diapers mentioned in a previous post. Please pray with me as we look for how God will provide to get them where they need to be. I have several leads I am following up on. It's exciting to see how God has brought numerous possibilities to mind that might work. It's a puzzle sometimes! Right now I'm working on a path of NC to PA to Germany to South Africa!!!! 

So, if you know of anyone flying to South Africa, I have an extra suitcase to send with them full of blessings God has for some little girls there!

Thank you for your part in allowing me to use the gifts God has given to me to serve others!

As for Keith.........

"You knew I was a material girl when you married me.😄"

 

Keith & Karen's Summer Newsletter

 

Fine Art?

 Well, I'm not sure if it's "fine art" but the following hangar shots are more "industrial" than people-ish.

   Engine Case Shavings

Drill Press

Nuts and Bolts and Stuff

Engine Case Detail

   New Wing Flap Skin

Cleco Kit

Ratchet

Control Holes and Wires

Beards, Diapers, and Birds: Real Photos, Real Life

Since our last blog, I let my hair and beard grow out to play the role of "Jacob" 

to tell the story of Jericho accompanied by our church Hand Bell Choir.

Here I am safely back in my office after a shave and a haircut.

Here's a portrait of our current MMS Aviation "Candidate Pipeline."

When not training and/or managing our support raisers in donor management, Karen continues to sew for missions. Here she's creating washable baby diapers using a pattern from an international agency. She also sews washable "dignity pads" needed by young women in rural, undeveloped areas around the world. Her work is sent to a mission agency with the global connections and long history of distributing such products to the villages, towns, and cultures in the most need.

A representative collection of completed diapers.

Completed dignity pads.

And when not sewing, Karen may be found building a bird feeder from scratch to keep our back yard feathered friends well fed. Our local birds fledged lots of families this year!

BABY BLUE BIRD BREAKFAST!

And here's an update from an MMS graduate serving as a pilot/mechanic in Honduras.

Thanks for making all of this possible through your faithful gifts and prayers. 

Your hands and prayers are forming eternal fruit!